Professor bests humility challenge

English professor James Vanden Bosch consistently takes the lowest place.

This weekend Calvin hosted the 42nd-annual Competitive Humility Challenge, a two-day self-abasement event in which contestants compete for the the title of "Calvin's Most Humble." Some of the weekend’s contests were: the Self-Deprecathalon, Turn-the-Other-Cheek Boxing—and golf.

"Golf is humbling enough just as it is," said one challenge organizer.

For the fifth-consecutive year, English professor James Vanden Bosch was the overall low scorer and the winner of the coveted Meekball trophy. (Meekball is also a humility challenge event, wherein opponents consistently defer to one another throughout a raquetball game. This year's Meekball match lasted 12 hours, as contestants continually offered to let the other serve.)

Hoisting the 2013 Meekball, Vanden Bosch bragged: “No one puts themselves last like I do! All I had to do to win was show up and give it 50 percent.” Vandenbosch gloated about his five-year streak, proclaiming: “My favorite part of humility is bringing others down to my level."